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found where the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of an ocean

located on the shore between the highest high-tide line and the lowest low-tide line

region of shallow water found below the low-tide line and extending over the continental shelf

an organism that can make its own food

an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms

consumers that only eat plant

consumers that only eat animals

consumers that eat both plants and animals

a carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms

break down biotic wastes and dead organisms and return the raw materials to the ecosystem

a series of events in which one organism eats another and contains energy

consists of many overlapping food chains in an ecosystem

the process by which molecules of liquid water absorb energy and change to a gas

the process by which a gas changes to a liquid

rain, snow, sleet, or hail

the process of changing free nitrogen into a usable form of nitrogen

the average annual temperature and amount of precipitation in an area that determines it biome

a group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms

an area that receives less than 25 centimeters of rain per year.

forests in which large amounts of rain fall year-round

the tallest layer of the rain forest

up to 50 meter tall trees form a leafy roof called the canopy

below the canopy, trees and vines that are about 15 meters tall form the understory

an area that is populated mostly by grasses and other non-woody plants